Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, has been arrested on charges of attempted rape, criminal sexual act and unlawful imprisonment, New York City police said Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
A law enforcement official said Mr. Strauss-Kahn was taken into police custody Saturday after being removed from an airplane at Kennedy Airport.
The law enforcement official said Mr. Strauss-Kahn allegedly forced a cleaning woman onto his bed and sexually assaulted her at around 1 p.m. Saturday inside his room at the Sofitel Hotel near Times Square.
One of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's France-based lawyers said on Sunday that it was key to avoid a media frenzy over the sex assault charges against the IMF chief and wait for clarity on whether the allegations are true.
"We must wait until things settle and see if it's true or a provocation," Leon Lef Foster told reporters.
"We must be especially careful not to get into a media circus and we must wait until things are clear," he said, and said that it was important to remain calm.